By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, July 31 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. lawmaker has introduced a bill aimed at countering North Korea's illicit schemes involving its information technology (IT) workers and other activities that support its weapons of mass destruction programs.

On Monday, Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) submitted the bill, titled "North Korean Fraudulent Applicants Knowingly Enriching the Regime Act," or the "North Korean FAKER Act," which would authorize the secretary of state to cooperate with U.S. allies and partners to detect, attribute and disrupt the North's IT worker schemes and other illicit activities.

The bill came as the United States, South Korea, Japan and other countries are stepping up cooperation to address Pyongyang's illicit revenue generation activities through its IT workers or other illicit means, amid growing concerns over its advancing nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

It calls for the secretary of state to coordinate with allies and partners to align sanctions and other measures to address North Korean IT worker schemes, enhance information sharing and engage with private-sector entities with relevant technical expertise to better detect, attribute and disrupt illicit North Korean activities.

It also enables the secretary to increase rewards offered to address IT worker schemes and weapons of mass destruction proliferation networks.

In addition, the bill states that the secretary should submit to the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee a report on the North's IT worker schemes and efforts to counter them no later than 180 days after the act's enactment and annually thereafter for a period of two years.

Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) co-sponsored the bill.

sshluck@yna.co.kr

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